Conventional mascara packaging consists of a cylindrical container that contains a supply of mascara, the container having a threaded neck to which a cap and rod applicator assembly is reversibly secured by complementary threading on the cap. The rod is inserted into the container through a wiper prior to closing the cap and, as the user screws the cap onto the container, the rod only moves a short distance (i.e., the height of the threaded area) further into the container. When the user unscrews the cap and withdraws the rod, the wiper scrapes or removes excess cosmetic from the applicator element to provide a more uniform, metered dose of mascara on the applicator. The wiper conventionally consists of an annular constriction of rubber or plastic in or near the neck of the container. Such mascara applicators and packaging are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,624 to Montgomery and U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,103 to Walsh-Smith, to name just a few.
A drawback to the conventional design is that the rod is axially centered in the container through a static wiper element and, therefore, the applicator element is not able to come into contact with mascara coating the interior surfaces of the container. Consequently, much of the inaccessible product is wasted and may wind up hardening inside the container, in particular proximate to the base of the container, especially any vertices thereof.
One attempt to solve this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,700,100 and 5,172,992, both to Ackermann, which relate to a mascara packaging having a stirring element that scrapes mascara from the edges of the container when the cap is screwed on or off. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,693 to Iizuka et al. also describes a stirrer in conjunction with a mascara application for the purpose of scraping viscous cosmetic liquids from the inner surface of the container.
Another approach for bringing more of the liquid cosmetic disposed in the container into contact with the applicator has involved the provision of a flexible container which may be squeezed by the user to force the composition on to the applicator. Such a device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,223,035 to Engel et al.
There is a continuing need in the art for improved functional designs for cosmetic applicators which overcome one or more of the deficiencies of the conventional applicators. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide cosmetic applicators which provide for a greater range of movement of the applicator within the interior of the container. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide dynamic wipers, which, when engaged with the applicator, permit the applicator element to be moved within the interior of the container with greater range than previously attainable.